California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1786


Introduced by Assembly Member Cooley

February 4, 2016


An act to amend Section 19619 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to horse racing.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1786, as introduced, Cooley. Horse racing: the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program.

(1) The Horse Racing Law establishes the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program for standardbred horses bred in California, and provides that an offspring of a registered California standardbred stallion standing in California during an entire breeding season is eligible to race in the program.

This bill would expand eligibility to race in the program to include the offspring of registered standardbred stallions standing in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, or Maine, or the Province of Alberta, Canada.

(2) The Horse Racing Law requires the California Horse Racing Board to set a schedule of races for the program in accordance with specified requirements, including, among other things, that races be scheduled by the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Committee, at its discretion, for two-year-old and three-year-old trotters, as specified, and that two- and three-year-old races be divided into colt and filly divisions.

This bill would instead require that races be scheduled for two-year-old or three-year-old trotters and would delete the requirement that two- and three-year-old races be divided into colt and filly divisions.

(3) The Horse Racing Law also establishes the manner of dividing the purse in California standardbred sires stakes races, and sets forth the percentages to be allocated for horses placing in the race based on the number of participating starters in a race.

This bill would establish the percentages to be allocated for horses finishing in first through fifth place, inclusive, regardless of the number of starters in the race.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 19619 of the Business and Professions
2Code
is amended to read:

3

19619.  

(a) Since the purpose of this chapter is to encourage
4agriculture and the breeding of horses in this state, a California
5Standardbred Sires Stakes Program is hereby established for
6standardbred horses bred in the State of California.

7(b) Horses eligible to race in the California Standardbred Sires
8Stakes Program shall be the offspring ofbegin delete anyend deletebegin insert aend insert registered California
9standardbred stallion standing in California during an entire
10breedingbegin delete season.end deletebegin insert season, or the offspring of a registered
11standardbred stallion standing in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
12Michigan, or Maine, or the Province of Alberta, Canada.end insert

13(c) (1) Responsibility for the California Standardbred Sires
14Stakes Program is with the board. Administration of the California
15Standardbred Sires Stakes Program is the responsibility of the
16California Standardbred Sires Stakes Committee. The committee
17shall consist of five members and one alternate selected from and
18by the California Harnessbegin delete Horse Owners and Breedersend deletebegin insert Horsemen’send insert
19 Association.

20(2) Administrative expenses of the committee in any given year
21shall not exceed 4 percent of that year’s income to the California
22Standardbred Sires Stakes Program, and all expenses shall be
23approved by the board.

24(d) The board may do all that is necessary to ensure that the
25California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program is appropriately
26administered and shall prepare, issue, and adopt rules and
27regulations providing for all of the following:

P3    1(1) Classes and divisions of races, eligibility of horses and
2owners therefor, and prizes and awards to be awarded.

3(2) Nominating, sustaining, and entry fees for horses and races.

4(3) Registration and certification of California stallions, mares
5bred to those stallions, and foals produced thereby.

6(4) Any other matter that is considered to be necessary and
7appropriate for the proper administration and implementation of
8the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program.

9(e) The funds for the California Standardbred Sires Stakes
10Program made available pursuant to Section 19491.7 and the
11nominating, sustaining, and entry fees provided for in this section
12shall be deposited with the California Standardbred Sires Stakes
13Committee. The committee shall distribute the funds deposited
14with it in accordance with this section for the purposes of the
15program in the manner approved by the board.

16(f) Pursuant to Section 19491.7, the breakage used to fund the
17California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program and to increase
18purses shall be divided in accordance with the following criteria:


19

 

 

California Standardbred

 
 

Sires Stakes Program

Purses

1977   

10%

90% 

1978   

20%

80% 

1979   

25%

75% 

1980   

50%

50% 

January 1 to June 30, 1981   

75%

25% 

July 1, 1981, and thereafter   

100%

0% 

P3   2832

 

29(g) An amount equal to 10 percent of the total purses raced for
30in the California sires stakes races shall be awarded to the
31standardbred breeders of the horses that earned purse money in
32the California standardbred sires stakes races in proportion to the
33amount of purse money earned by each horse.

34(h) An amount equal to 2 percent of the total purses raced for
35in the California sires stakes races shall be awarded to the owners
36of the registered California standardbred stallions that sired horses
37that earned purse money in the California standardbred sires stakes
38races in proportion to the amount of purse money earned by each
39horse so sired.

P4    1(i) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the board may establish a
2series of races for two-year-old and three-year-old fillies that are
3wholly owned by a California resident on the first day of January
4of the year that they become two years old and are wholly owned
5by a California resident on the day of the race.

6(j) The balance of the remaining funds, including nominating,
7sustaining, and entry fees, and after the expenditures described in
8subdivisions (e), (g), (h), and (i) have been made, shall be allocated
9to purses for races comprising the California Standardbred Sires
10Stakes Program.

11(k) The schedule of races that shall comprise the California
12Standardbred Sires Stakes Program during each year shall be set
13by the board in accordance with the following criteria:

14(1) California standardbred sires stakes races shall be scheduled
15for two-year-oldbegin delete andend deletebegin insert orend insert three-year-old trotters and two-year-old
16and three-year-old pacers at the discretion of the California
17Standardbred Sires Stakes Committee, except that no two-year-old
18races shall be heldbegin delete prior toend deletebegin insert beforeend insert the first day of June of any year.
19Races for four-year-old or aged trotters and four-year-old or aged
20pacers may also be scheduled.

begin delete

21(2) Two- and three-year-old races shall be divided into colt and
22filly divisions.

end delete
begin delete

23(3)

end delete

24begin insert(2)end insert Base purses for each set of races conducted during any given
25year at any race meeting shall be determined by the committee.
26begin delete As used in this section, a set of races means one final race for each
27eligible age, sex, and gait, as scheduled by the committee.end delete

begin delete

28(4)

end delete

29begin insert(3)end insert In each division of each race in the California standardbred
30sires stakes races, the purse shall be divided in the following
31manner:

 

begin delete

  (i) Five or more starters

end delete
 

1st   

 50%

2nd   

 25%

3rd   

 12%

4th   

 8%

5th   

 5%

begin delete

  (ii) Four starters

end delete
 
begin delete

1st   

end delete
begin delete

 55%

end delete
begin delete

2nd   

end delete
begin delete

 25%

end delete
begin delete

3rd   

end delete
begin delete

 12%

end delete
begin delete

4th   

end delete
begin delete

 8%

end delete
begin delete

  (iii) Three starters

end delete
 
begin delete

1st   

end delete
begin delete

 55%

end delete
begin delete

2nd   

end delete
begin delete

 30%

end delete
begin delete

3rd   

end delete
begin delete

 15%

end delete
begin delete

  (iv) Two starters

end delete
 
begin delete

1st   

end delete
begin delete

 65%

end delete
begin delete

2nd   

end delete
begin delete

 35%

end delete
begin delete

  (v) One starter

end delete
 
begin delete

1st   

end delete
begin delete

100%

end delete

 



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